| Blog series by CrossGrain (Josh) | updated 109 days ago | 4 parts | 3869 reads | 19 comments total |
Part 1: Intro
I’ve decided that I really need a workbench if I’m going to be doing any amount of ‘real’ woodworking. A board slapped on top of the tablesaw isn’t really cutting it, and I could really use a vise. I’ll be following the ‘Getting Started in Woodworking’ workbench design loosely with many of my own modifications. Much of the design will come out of the components that I have selected for the bench. First, I want a solid wood top rather than ...
Part 2: Bench Top
I have now completed the benchtop. Two key parts dictated dimensions and part locations: the countertop that I picked up from Ikea, and the large front vise from Lee Valley. Here is the countertop – solid beech: There was a small gap on the underside of the countertop that I filled with epoxy: Two pieces of MDF were cut to the same dimension as the countertop. On the underside of one piece of MDF, I layed out where the vise would be along with the legs and apron, then det...
Part 3: Leg assemblies
Last time, I had finished assembly of the benchtop but had neglected to get any pictures of it right-side up. I moved it onto the bed in the spare bedroom near my work area to make room for sizing up the leg stock. I purchased poplar for the base of the bench since it is relatively inexpensive. I read something recently about poplar not being a good choice for a workbench base (not sure what the reasoning was), but I have already purchased it and done much of the sizing of parts from it. I...
